The popular use and meaning of words of affirmation is to say or write something positive, that supports or builds up another person.
The word affirmation is derived from the Latin verb affirmare and it means to present something as true, fixed, firm; and also to make steady and strengthen, to confirm or to corroborate.
Words of affirmation are also often seen as one of the five love languages, which has popularized different ways of giving and receiving love in a relationship.
Words of affirmation can also be spoken to yourself (as a self affirmation) as well as to someone else - or your pet (!) - and the intention is always to state something positive as a truth, with the objective of challenging and countering negative thoughts.
In this article we are going to be focusing on words of affirmation as expressions of truth rather than expressions of love - although obviously expressions of love can be expressions of truth!
Self-Affirmation Theory (Steele, 1988) is one of the main psychological theories that underpin words of affirmation. This theory is grounded in the view that we maintain our sense of self-integrity by affirming our beliefs in positive ways. The theory comprises three factors that may explain how words of affirmation work:
[1] We maintain a level of self-talk that re-enforces a positive self-identity that is flexible and adaptable to the requirements of the situations we find ourselves in.
[2] This self-identity is not about being the best but about being generally competent in areas that matter to us.
[3] We say positive things to ourselves in order to live up to our values and deserve recognition and praise.
Self-Affirmation Theory is closely related to Self-Efficacy Theory which is based on the work of Albert Bandura which can be summarized in his own words as:
Bandura's research and a great deal of other supporting research has shown that self-efficacy is a key driver of success across all domains of life.
Or, to put it in more popular language, believing in yourself really does work!
From a neurological perspective there is evidence suggesting that certain neural pathways are increased when people practice self-affirmation tasks.
In 2016 Christopher N. Cascio and others conducted research that gathered MRI evidence that demonstrated “…the neural processes associated with successful self-affirmation…”
Put simply, the neuroscientific research shows that we can see physiological changes in the wiring of the brain when we
self-affirm in positive ways.
The sub-conscious, autopilot, part of the brain is very literal and responds to clear, simple instructions that are positive, present tense, statements of fact.
So words of affirmation have to be expressed in the language of the brain and follow a formula, they:
1) Are always expressed in the present tense as your brain only responds to present tense statements.
2) Only include positive words. The brain has to work hard to unpack negative words and convert them into positive ones. So avoid words like: “don’t”, “can’t” or “won’t”.
3) Are spoken as statements of fact and truth. Avoid words like “might” and “could” and use words like “am” and “do”.
Your brain is hardwired in such a way that it is constantly looking for clues to filter your environment and guide your actions, it will pick up on any available influence.
This could mean all the subconscious fears and doubts you haven’t dealt with, and the messages embedded in your external environment.
Fortunately you can take control of this process.
Jack Canfield has published this simple but powerful step by step guide to creating and using words of affirmation focused on success.
Here are: 100 Positive Affirmations to Carry You Through Life
Words have power because of the results they create in our life experiences
In The Power of Framing we are talked about the causal link between inner states and external events:
”We
are energetic beings. The inner associations that we make and the
meanings that we ascribe to those associations are all energy based.
By changing the words we use to reframe an experience we change the underlying energetic state.
This change in energetic state changes the results that we create.”
Words Are The "Shortcut Keys" To Our Energetic States
Taking it to next level
Here is a very simple but powerful technique developed and taught by John Harricharan.
It relieves stress and anxiety, helps you regain your balance and manifest your intentions.
This starts with words and move to visualisation and feeling. This is an energy based approach to words of affirmation.
I commend it to you: The Three Minute Power Pause
The most powerful words of affirmation
Affirmations that others may say to you can be powerful, and self-affirmations are also powerful, but in my experience the most powerful words of affirmation that you can receive are from your higher self.
Your ego's desire to be in control, your ego attempts to usurp the role of your higher self, will do all that it can to disconnect you from your true source of power...
Here is: How To Stay Connected To Your True Source Of Power
Return to: Renewing Your Mind
LATEST ARTICLES
Like A Prayer - Life Is A Mystery
It Isn't The Process Of Prayer That’s The Problem, It’s The Way It’s Framed. Regardless of what we feel about Madonna or her song the topic of prayer often arouses strong reactions. Usually, it is som…
How Things Really Are - The Inbuilt Design Flaws
Chaos, Disorder And Decay Is The Natural Order Of Things. Nobody has the perfect life. We all struggle and strive to attain health, wealth and personal happiness. Yet these three big areas: our health…
Intuition Or Anxiety - Are There Angels Or Devils Crawling Here?
How To Tell The Difference Between Intuition and Anxiety. How do you know whether the voice of your intuition is real or just the product of your inner anxiety? Several months ago I was having a drink…
What Is Truth - How To Tell A Partial Truth From The Whole Truth?
How the truth and nothing but the truth is often not the whole truth. My great aunty Flo broke her arm and died. It is true that she broke her arm in 1923. It is also true that she died in 1949. But t…
Duality And Life Beyond Your Thinking Mind
Duality and life beyond your thinking mind focuses on the limitations of time, foreground and background, duality and "stuckness". The first aspect of duality and life beyond your thinking mind focuse…
The Conscious Mind Is Limited - Be Aware And Be Prepared
Being aware is the first stage of being prepared. The conscious mind is limited in so many ways. There are some who would argue that there is no such thing as conscious thought and that it is represen…
Your Inner Map Of Reality - Here's Why You Think The Way You Do
The big picture of how your inner map of reality creates your feelings, thoughts, and behaviours. Your inner map of reality is based on the filters of your own ethnic, national, social, family and rel…
The Failure Of Cancel Culture - Suppression Not Engagement
Why we need to wear our beliefs lightly and develop negative capability. Throughout history people have campaigned to fight beliefs, ideologies, and injustices that they perceived to be oppressive, di…
4 Big Reasons Why We Get Stuck In Our Attempts At Personal Change
Most People Spend Their Entire Life Imprisoned Within The Confines Of Their Own Thoughts. This first of the 4 big reasons why we get stuck is, in my view, the most important. The "self-help industry…
How Do I Change And Why Is It So Hard?
We Would Rather Die Than Change, And We Usually Do In my experience, the vast majority of people who say they want to change don’t change. Most people reading this won’t change because they don’t real…
The Illusion Of A Separate Self - Windows 11 With Self Awareness!
Beyond the content of your mind you are so much more than you think you are. When we talk of "myself" this is the conventional way of referring to our self image which is in fact the ego's constructio…
Finite And Infinite Games - Dazed, Confused & Ultimately Transcendent
This is not an instruction manual, it is a wake up call!
Over this past week I have read Professor James Carse's highly regarded "Finite And Infinite Games - A Vision Of Life As Play And Possibility"…
The Gap And The Gain - How Your Brain Sabotages Your Happiness
How Your Lizard Brain Sabotages Your Happiness We are hardwired to measure our progress in any and all areas of life where we have goals and aspirations. We can't not do it. But what we measure and ho…
How To Wake Up - 4 Simple Practices To Help You Wake Up Now
So What Exactly Does It Mean to Wake Up - What Is "Enlightenment"? There is nothing magical, mystical or mysterious about waking up we’re actually having glimpses of enlightenment all the time. Enligh…
Situational Communication - Different Strokes For Different Folks
Situational communication is about taking account of 3 often ignored factors about the other person. You are a situational communicator when you recognise that effective communication is not an event…
How To Influence Without Authority - 6 Key Tips
The secret to how to influence without authority is that you get what you really want by giving other people what they really want. We live in an interconnected world and knowing how to influence with…
Change Questions To Change Your Outcomes
Asking The Right Questions Is Critical For A Successful Change. Every time we initiate a significant change - whether in our personal life or in an organisation - we will most likely over-estimate our…
Group Culture - The Invisible Software That Rules Your Life
Group culture is: "How we do things round here". We like to see ourselves as free agents making our own choices and living authentically but the reality is that The Matrix has many layers and we are u…
Why Getting From A to B Is Not Aways A Straight Line
In circumstances of significant change, the progress from A to B will not be in a straight line. We run our lives largely on auto-pilot. In most circumstances your experience of getting from A to B is…
The Art Of Persuasion Planning For Success - Here's How To Do It!
To be successful in the art of persuasion you must ensure that certain things happen. To be successful in the art of persuasion you must establish a framework of what has to happen to get you to that…
The Art Of Persuasion Advanced Communication Skills - Gaining Buyin
Create The Environment Where They Want To Buyin to Your Proposal In order to build the win-win you have to uncover what it is that the other person really wants or needs, and to do that you have to as…
The Art Of Persuasion The One Fundamental Principle - Create A Win-Win
The art of persuasion is based on the simple idea that you get what you want by enabling the other party to get what they want. Being a nice friendly person with good inter-personal skills may be a go…
Communication Persuasion And Change - Key Skills To Survive & Succeed
It's not the strongest that survive, nor the most intelligent, but those who are most responsive to change, the most persuasive, and the best communicators. We are living in an age of unprecedented ch…
The Eisenhower Box - What Is Important Is Seldom Urgent
What Is Important Is Seldom Urgent And What Is Urgent Is Seldom Important. The Eisenhower Box is a time management and decision-making model devised by President Dwight Eisenhower to help him prioriti…
Zen Enlightenment [Satori] - The Stink Of Zen
Lost In Our Delusions About Enlightenment. There is something in human nature - a desire to glamorise, sanctify, objectify and idolise – that elevates people who have offered deep insights to the huma…
5 Zen Mindsets For Mastery - In Any Area Of Your Life
The Wisdom Of A Person Who Masters In Any Art Is Reflected In Their Every Attitude. The state and quality of your mind has a very large bearing on the quality of your performance in any area of life t…
Dealing With The Toxicity Of Online Dating - 6 Key Tips From A Clinical Psychologist
Toxicity Is The Price Tag Of Accessibility. In the early days of online dating, users were vetted and had to go through a registration process and agree to comply with a code of conduct designed to en…
Why Understanding Ergodicity Is Critical To Your Long Term Survival
How Not To Be Fooled By Randomness. Ergodicity is an ugly word from the world of mathematics. It is an umbrella term for two sets of conditions of probability and outcome. These two conditions form th…
Dealing With Imposter Syndrome - Ego Is The Enemy
How You Frame A Situation Has A Profound Impact On How You Respond To It Emotionally. Imposter syndrome is a psycho-emotional experience of a fear of being found out as incompetent despite ongoing evi…
The Challenges Of The Road Less Traveled
Issues You'll Face When Playing The Long Game. The challenges of the road less traveled is loosely based around the phrase popularised by M.Scott Peck with his book "The Road Less Traveled". This arti…